I broke down and grabbed the 73qt the other day. I probably wouldn't have, except I had a couple gift cards from returning unwanted gifts burning a hole in my pocket. I only paid $130 out of pocket. IMO, that's closer to where the price point ought to be. Otherwise it's too close to RTIC, which looks like a better product overall.
I haven't had a chance to really get it out, but I rested a pork butt in it this weekend and that sucker was piping hot hours later. You're definitely right on the latches. They seal fine, but my concern is for longevity with an extra part to break in the little plastic peg and a hole in the rubber latch weakening it overall. The handles seems pretty sturdy to me, though the braided nylon line that Yeti uses certainly would hold up better than the nylon webbing OT uses. Not a huge concern for me because it has molded handles too, and I'm not sure how often I'll actually use the extended ones.
Drains are good quality, and I like the double plug system and ability to drain fast or slow or hook up to a standard hose for directed draining. I like the cup holders on the lid, and the fish ruler is a nice touch as well.
The molding on mine looks fine. But I did in-store pick up and just grabbed mine from the front. I didn't inspect any of the others on the shelf, but I have heard talk about QC issues regarding this. The hinges seem really solid, and mine sealed perfectly. I'd also heard of bad sealing or the seal not closing the loop - not a problem in the one I got. I also heard somebody say the lids felt cheap or flimsy... compared to what? A solid maple slab? I'm 220 and I got on top of the thing and jumped up and down with no noticeable movement. The whole thing feels solid, and I have no reason to believe it won't hold ice just as well as comparable coolers.
All-in-all I think it's a decent buy, but again they may be missing the price point sweet spot a bit. If you compare the comparable size classes between OT/RTIC you're only saving 23, 16, and 3% for the S,M,L respectively. Maybe worth it at the S end, but definitely not at L. Now all the OTs are slightly bigger than the RTIC counterparts (e.g. 26qt vs. 20 qt for the S), so if you scale the savings to include additional size, you get something like 40, 27, and 14%. Doesn't change things much for me - still seems like good deal if you're looking for roadie type and maybe not worth it for a larger boat/truck cooler. Unless you need one now, that is. OT seems to be in stock many places and RTIC delivery still up in the air.
